Obama pick tripped up by Black Panther case?

'The division has become a rat's nest of unacceptable and unprofessional actions'

Published: 03/13/2013 at 10:48 PM

(Washington Times) An assistant attorney general President Obama is considering for labor secretary oversaw a Justice Department section hampered by racially-charged ideological divisions, an inspector general report says.

The long-awaited report, spawned by the New Black Panther Party voter harassment investigation, takes issue with the working atmosphere at the voting rights section that falls under Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez.

The report’s revelations are certain to surface during Mr. Perez’s confirmation process, including information that his testimony to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights regarding the New Black Panther Party case was incomplete. While the report said investigators did not find that Mr. Perez intentionally misled the commission, he was testifying as a Justice Department witness and should have sought more details from others about the nature and extent of the participation of political employees in the New Black Panther Party decision in advance of his testimony.